Legend of the dream cave near Arosa
The legend of the Wunschhöhle near Arosa is based in Graubünden in the rearmost Schanfigg near the Schwellisee .
content
In the past , an "ornamental nut tree" grew above the small village of Arosa , southwest of the Mutta and not far from Schwellisee. Otherwise there was not a single pine tree left in the wide area around it , and you had to hike to the next tree for up to half an hour. Only this one Swiss stone pine with the name Muttenbaum towered into the sky with a sweeping crown. Spring water gushed under its roots.
To the side of the tree was an entrance with an iron door that could be opened with a golden key, which could be found in the spring by lucky children. A little man with a white beard was waiting in the cave and told those who entered to follow him. It led the visitor into a room adorned with gold and precious stones and thus shining as bright as day. There the little man presented the guest with a three-fold choice: he could choose a mountain of diamonds and gold, a gold-hewn “plümpe” ( Walser German for “cow bell”) or an enchanted maiden of special grace. The decision in favor of gold and precious stones makes the visitor suddenly rich, but otherwise they will not be very lucky. The choice of the cowbell brings him into possession of the most magnificent cattle far and wide, but this acquisition will not make the owner happy either. Only the choice of the virgin, who is thereby released from the spell, leads to lifelong happiness.
According to legend, a young cowherd (a "Kühjer") was the last to enter the magic cave. He loved the cattle and the free life of herdsmen , so the choice was not difficult for him: he took the plumage. The scorned virgin resented this decision. The wonderful cattle died bit by bit over the year by falling into the depths of the Erzhorn . The boy himself died young and without having experienced the love of a woman.
gallery
The Swiss stone pines between Schwelli and Älplisee, placed under protection in 1927
Legend trail near the Swiss stone pine
swell
- The legend of the dream cave near Arosa . In: Fairytale hiking. On the trail of Graubünden legends and fairy tales . 2nd edition, Terra Grischuna Verlag, Chur 2003, p. 16.
- Hans Danuser : Arosa place and field names with inclusion of the Welschtobel and some border areas of neighboring communities . Self-published by Danuser, Arosa 2011, ISBN 3-905342-49-9 , p. 156.